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There are many things that Wonpil loves to do: act cute, cling, shower kisses, show affection, and stare--specifically, at Jae.
He's been caught staring at the older many times even during live shows. Their fans would never miss those moments where his eyes would always linger at the taller.
One time, as they went live for their second-year anniversary since their band debuted, Wonpil was oblivious that he was already looking at Jae a little longer than he ought to.
Jae caught the younger's eyes pierced on him, and he told him to stop. Wonpil, who didn't seem embarrassed despite being caught, played it cool by acting as if what he was doing wasn't a big deal at all.
Why would it be, right? When he does it every single day. He does it at the dorm, during practices, when they perform, when they go out. Basically, every time he spends time with him and every chance he gets that his eyes can land on Jae. So why would he change it just because they're live?
But of course, it is a big deal for Jae. Every time he feels the younger's eyes are on him, his nape would start to feel as if it's being tickled. He acts as if he doesn't like it when in fact, he just feels like melting every time.
Usually, Jae would be startled every time he'd catch Wonpil stare, so he'd instantly ask the younger what's the matter or to stop. Despite liking the fact that Wonpil's eyes are always on him, he doesn't want others to notice how he melts in the other's stare. Wonpil though, as a person who likes teasing Jae, never obliged to the older's demands. He'd just plaster a wide smile and wouldn't even avert his eyes.
Lately, as if the younger's eyes are a magnet, Jae's eyes are being pulled towards Wonpil every time he feels the other's eyes piercing yet tender gaze. If he would feel panic before, he finds himself staring back at the younger these days.
It doesn't escape Wonpil's eyes. Neither My Days'.
The way his eyes gently land on the younger and how it would linger, and how his face would start painting a soft smile from the sight of the adorable young man, screams adoration and so much affection.
When one would look at the other, and the other would look back, their gaze would lock for several seconds forgetting their surroundings, as if they're the only people in the room. They'd even exchange soft chuckles or sweet smiles.
Wonpil loves it, of course. He loves how the older doesn't tell him to stop anymore but stares back at him instead. Although they snap back to reality almost right away when they are around other people, it still doesn't change the fact that they lock eyes. There are times he’d be taken aback though. Of course, it’s a given that he stares at the older but sometimes when the older would stare back, he couldn’t help but fold himself and melt.
How soft Jae's stares at Wonpil, as if the younger is the most delicate thing in the world that could even break if you turn your gentle look to a glare, always send shivers down the younger's spine. He'd always bite his lower lip to prevent himself from showing how much he loves it and how much he feels like fainting from euphoria or rolling over a bed of cloud. Jae's soft eyes on him alone is enough to make him feel intoxicated.
Wonpil doesn't know how the older feels or what changed for Jae to return his stares with so much fondness in his eyes. He doesn't want to read beyond the line, he just knows that he wants their short staring sessions at random times to continue.
“There,” Jae suddenly chimes without looking up. “There you go again.”
“What?” Wonpil gets a throw pillow to put it between his lap and elbow. He rests his chin on his palm. He raises his brows, feigning innocence.
Jae finally takes his eyes away from his phone screen to look at the younger. “You're staring again.”
“Does it bother you?” He shrugs. “It's not like it's something new.” Wonpil stands up to sit beside the older. He places his left arm on the backrest of the couch and tilts his head before he continues to stare at Jae.
Jae, on the other hand, huffs exasperatedly causing his hair to be blown away. He puts his focus back on his phone.
“But you always do it. Like… ALWAYS.” He emphasizes the last word.
“Have you ever seen something so breathtaking? Like a painting, a sunset, a scenery, or even just an instrument. And you can't help it but stare in awe.”
“Remember the aurora?” Jae puts his phone down and excitingly faces the younger. “That's one thing off my bucket list and I will never ever get over that moment. How it's beautifully painted on the sky--” and he goes on and on telling how much he was in awe of that moment and Wonpil stays still, looking at the other in awe from sharing one of his most favorite experiences.
“Then I guess, you're an aurora for me.”
Jae halts for a moment. They lock eyes as he tries to process what the younger meant. He puts his hands down that were left hanging in the air from gesturing the aurora earlier. He faces Wonpil again.
“When you get to see something astonishing as that, you won't lose your chance to stare at it, right? As ethereal as that. Like you.”
Jae leans back and knits his eyebrows. “So cheesy.”
Wonpil laughs and shakes his head. Jae’s heart flutters. He grabs his phone again, trying to make himself be preoccupied, hoping the younger won't notice how much he affects him.
“Hyung!”
Jae only hums in response.
“Stop acting like you hate it when I stare. You actually love it, don't you?”
Jae swallows a lump as his hold on his phone tightens.
“Hyung,” Wonpil pauses as he musters more courage to ask the older. “You're fond of me, aren't you? I can see it with the way you look at me.”
Jae pulls himself to glare at the younger, throwing his phone on the other couch. He leans in to speak in a low voice.
“Hey.” The corner of Wonpil's lips twitches up upon hearing that word coming out from the older's mouth. It sounds… sexy. “If I catch you staring at me again…”
Wonpil raises both of his eyebrows and looks at the older expectantly. He tilts his head on the other side. Jae leans in a little more while the younger leans back. The older, despite both of them sitting, is towering over Wonpil. The latter is already looking up at the older's face which is less than a feet away above him.
“If you catch me staring at you again…?”
Jae studies the younger's face. He looks at Wonpil's eyes that mirror his, then down to his nose that is shining, and down to his lips that are inviting.
Jae blinks.
Did he think of that? He lands his gaze back on the younger's eyes. They stare at each other for a moment. If not for the video that is playing on Jae's phone, the streamer who is doing his game and talking to his team, they might just hear each other's heartbeat.
“If I catch you staring at me again, I'll kiss you.”
As if on cue, their lips brush when Wonpil jumps in surprise because of the sudden sound of gunshots that fill the room.
It didn't even last a second but they're more than a hundred percent sure their lips made contact.
Wonpil is wincing in pain though. It wasn't just their lips but their whole face collided. Although it hurt, specifically his nose and forehead, he is covering his nose and keeps saying ‘aw’ just for a show.
If he had been ready for the collision of their lips, he wouldn't have to act like this. But he's not so he doesn't know how to play it cool.
Jae, on the other hand, just stands in front of him, looking at him blankly. As if his forehead doesn't hurt, his focus is on one thing: they really kissed. Can it be called a kiss?
Another gunshot and he is pulled back to his senses.
“Oh,” he looks for his phone. “Sorry. I should have paused the video earlier.”
Wonpil straightens up. He doesn't mention anything about our lips. “No. I'm sorry for bumping into you, Hyung.”
Until they called it a night, no one uttered a single word about it.
The next day, though, although Wonpil isn’t saying anything about last night, Jae is sure that the younger remembers what he said, making him think about the accidental kiss.
Wonpil isn’t doing anything much actually. He just stares and stares and stares and stares. And lastly, he stares. The moment Jae stepped out of his room in the morning, Wonpil stared from the couch. When they ate breakfast, Wonpil stared from across the seat. When Younghyun urged them to watch a movie with him, Wonpil stared even though he was sitting beside him. When he lied down on the couch and read a book, Wonpil sat on the floor, rest his chin on the coffee table and stared.
Evening came and they’re sitting across each other again. Jae doesn’t look up. Sungjin is discussing something but he can’t comprehend anything because he’s too distracted of the younger’s eyes piercing on him.
With a sigh, he suddenly looks straight on the younger’s eyes. The latter, who is not expecting it, curls himself as he covers his face. He laughs it off and Jae smiles softly at the sight.
“You caught me,” Wonpil states with a wide smile.
“You’ve been doing it all day, how can he not catch you staring?” Sungjin deadpans but Wonpil only grins wider.
“Hyung,” he locks gaze with Jae, “you caught me.”
Jae doesn’t say anything. He just stares at him, thinking if Wonpil really stared at him purposely the whole day because of what he said last night.
Sungjin is already in his room by nine.
“Hyung!” Wonpil pouts when Jae is about to turn the knob of his room. “I’ve been staring at you the whole day. You said you’ ll--”
“Hey!” Jae warns.
“What is it, Jae?” Younghyun asks. His arm around Dowoon’s neck to drag the youngest in his room to watch One Piece’s update with him.
“Nothing.” He shots a glare at Wonpil again. “We had a pact that if I catch him stare, he’d let me borrow his laptop for a week.”
Younghyun looks at Wonpil for affirmation but the latter is still looking straight at the oldest.
Wonpil huffs before pouting and stomps towards the older. “Come on, let’s get my laptop.” He drags him by the wrist.
Younghyun and Dowoon proceed to go in the former’s room.
“What was that?” Jae spits right after Wonpil closes the door behind him. “Do you seriously want them to know what I said last night?”
“I stared at you the whole day, you caught me, what’s next?”
Jae dishevels his hair and sighs. “Forget it.”
He steps towards the door and as he reaches for the knob, the younger grips his arm and makes him turn around. The moment he faces the younger, Wonpil tiptoes to let their lips meet and deepens it the second after.
Jae steps back only to make his back touch the door. When Wonpil pulls away, their gaze lingers at each other's lips.
“Wonpil- ah, ” Jae says in almost whisper.
The way Jae pronounces Wonpil's name weakens the younger's knees yet makes him more courageous. So he advances again. This time, Jae responds. He even grips the younger's waist and the latter drapes his arm around the older's shoulders while putting his right hand against the door, near Jae's head, trapping him between his body and the wood behind the taller.
They both sigh after a moment. They breathe heavily as if they ran out of air. Wonpil doesn't move away and Jae doesn't push him either. The younger's forehead is against Jae's chest and the latter rests his chin on the younger's head.
“You caught me staring, but I was the one who caught your lips.” Wonpil chews on his lower lip for a second. He gulps and exhales softly. “Do you know what else I caught way before this?”
“Hmm?”
“Feelings.” Wonpil breathes shakily. “Feelings for you.”
Wonpil grips Jae's shirt as he feels the other tense from his confession. He readies himself for the worst outcome but Jae shifts their position, making him the one who's trapped between Jae's body and the door, and kisses him.
Jae nibbles on the younger's lips and Wonpil takes it as an acceptance of his feelings--if not a reciprocation. But Jae doesn't want to confuse the younger or leave him hanging. So he pulls away and stares at him.
“You caught my heart, too.”
And as they catch each other's lips once again, they tighten their hold of each other knowing their hearts are not just wandering in vain but are actually in each other's hand.